VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

xxx

nanmoo wrote:On the topic there was a guy flying a trainer at the top of the Kook street stairs yesterday in 40 knot gusts. His wife and kid would periodically hold on to him as he got launched up into the sky and down the grassy field. The kite was going from side to side nearly slamming into the cars on one side and the people on the path on the other. Twice it hit my gear while rigging. Fumed, I was about to go over and say something but he packed it up.

I know several kiters must have passed by this bafoon, please, please, please take a moment and say something to people when they are doing this sort of thing. I am not sure what you are supposed to do with a trainer kite but certainly this was not it. The message carries a lot more weight when it comes from a kiter rather than some punk windsurfer.

I tried to talk him out of flying it there as politely as possible, got the big old polite f#?k off. I approached him as he was unwinding his lines just to check out the 3m trainer & pointed out how dirty the wind was there & how no matter his skill level the kite wouldn't fly well & the proximity to the road & the walking path. He said he was experienced... what do you do? So he launches the 2 line inflatable trainer & its all over the place; really out of control. Then he decides he needs his harness, I'm so pissed at myself for not having my phone to shoot video of him & his wife trying to wrestle on the pull up seat harness while he was being yarded around by his kite.... it was comedy. A lady with a baby decided to shorten their walk instead of walking by the danger zone. What I was honestly hoping for was him to crash it so I could grab it & put it in the dog poo trash with him still hooked in but he pulled the pin after a few minutes of looking like a pretty big tool. (hope you're reading this dude)

R

Hi guys,

I was given the link to this forum by a neighbor and was brought back to the incident that happened to my husband, Tyler that day back in 2006. Wow, seems like yesterday to remember it now. Anyway, I was really touched by everybody's concern and decided to post a reply just to let you all know Tyler's status.

That day was horrific for me and Grant's description of it is very accurate from my point of view. One thing I'd like to point out is that we had our daughter with us that day too, she was 3 at the time. And yes, Tyler was inexperienced and I have a real guilt about the fact that I launched the kite. I had NO experience with that at all and was going by the instructions of Tyler and his friends (one of which is a certified Kitesurfing instructor...who happened to be out on the water at the time).

Anyway, Tyler's update....he was VERY lucky. Like Grant, I thought that was the end of my husband. Just seeing him crash into that tree and the blood on his face gave me nightmares for months. We had a HUGE wait at the Duncan hospital and he had a broken nose and required layers of stitches in his leg. The doctor said that he was actually lucky because his nose was SOOO completely shattered that it would heal better than if he had one break in a certain spot.

Tyler has not kiteboarded again (that I'm aware of anyway!!), mostly because that incident scared the pants off of me and I forbid him to do so. Before you think that's unfair, remember we had a 3 year (7 now) and now have another baby and I was still horrified by images of the accident and I really did not relish the idea of being a single mom. I just did not want to deal with the worry that would come along with knowing he was in danger. Tyler uses my refusal to allow him to kiteboard as his excuse, but in all honesty, the incident scared him a lot too and he was just as happy to put that sport behind him.

I want to point out that Tyler is a bit of an adreneline junkie and he was inexperienced, had a great day with the training kite the day before and was just so pumped that he jumped into that incident head first (no pun intended!) with not a lot of logical thought...it's no wonder things happened the way they did.

Tyler was off work for about a week while his face and leg healed, my nightmares lasted for months. He now does a lot of top-rope rock climbing and downhill biking, but that accident at Nitnhat gave him a well-needed respect for life (as do his daughters) and I don't worry about him so much anymore. However, I can't imagine being comfortable with him kiteboarding again...those images are ingrained. C'est la vie.

One thing I want to point out to everyone is that other than the horrific accident, the thing I remember most about that day was the FABULOUS help and support we got from the kiteboarding community there as well as the locals. Grant and Marie stick out a lot in my head as being people that just helped us to the point that I can't even begin to describe my appretiation of them. I thank you all and will never forget that kindness. My regret is that I didn't express it more at the time, however, I guess I had other things on my mind.

I would love to go back to Nitnaht one day (as a camper and sight-seer only) and wish all of you the best of luck and safety in the fabulous sport, which unfortunately, we won't be able to enjoy again, other than as observers. Happy kiting....I will never forget the amount of help and support we received at Nitnhat. Follow the rules, get proper instruction and mostly be safe...

Happy sails!! xo

Top rope rock climbing AND downhill biking!!!???!!!???

These are way, way, way more dangerous sports IMO (for the frequency/chances of injury). Kiteboarding is as dangerous as you want it to be, or as how much you want to push yourself, once you are past the early stage anyway. I think that if he wants to get back to kiteboarding he should, just be more carefull and maybe more time on the trainer kite before going to the real kite? Or his hand on the safety release ready to pull it when he is launching/landing? Lessons?

Anyway, I am happy that he heal good, cya at Nitinat maybe.
Congrats on the second baby!!!

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=2781 Please read & post the previous kiting guidelines if you feel they are appropriate Here is a quote " . DON’T GET LOFTED! Lofting or involuntarily lifting is one of the greatest hazards of kiteboarding. The majority of loftings appear to have been readily avoidable as well. Avoiding unstable weather, keeping your kite low and getting offshore without delay are only a few of the measures necessary to avoid this threat. If despite all precautions you are dragged or lofted a short distance AND have time to react, depower your kite as soon as you start to pause. You will likely be dulled by shock so mentally rehearse totally depowering sheeting your flat kite out or using your kite leash immediately under such circumstances. After initial impact you may not have sufficient awareness or even be conscious to act so when in doubt ACT EARLY, don't wait. Total depowering by sheeting out your flat kite or using your kite leash on C kites, ideally should occur before you are lofted, still offshore and away from hard objects. Multiple gusts can hit over a short period and you may be lofted a second or third time, lulls can stall your kite before gusts relaunch it so ACT to totally depower your kite as soon as you can. DO NOT ASSUME that you will have a lull between loftings, sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t. If you are air born over land, it is uncertain how and if you will come out of things. Focus on controlling your kite with small control inputs to avoid stalling the kite. Some have advised keeping the kite overhead AFTER you are lofted and to try to gently steer towards the least hazardous are to impact. Other riders have said that reversing direction or transitioning after lofting has helped to reduce forward speed. It would be wise to accept and plan for the fact that YOU CAN BE LOFTED AT ANYTIME you are connected to a kite."

OK, here is a brief summary of what happened at CB on Saturday September 25th and our synopsis of what we did wrong. Hopefully this will help others and us in the future.

The wind was strong. We spent some time assessing the conditions and talked to people who had been kiting and windsurfing. I launched Speedy’s kite. As she made her way to the water she began getting lifted just a few inches. I rushed up to assist. Over a period of a few seconds, we were both assessing whether she could de-power and regain control. A stronger gust lofted both of us into the air. We landed hard on the beach (rocks).

Mistake #1: The pilot should have activated the safety release and ejected the kite at the moment there was less than 100% control.

Mistake #2: The assistant should have reached around and activated the safety release for the pilot and ejected the kite at the moment there was less than 100% control.

We both made the same critical error. We thought we were prepared for this moment, as we mentally rehearse pulling the safety release before every session. What we never rehearsed was when to make that decision. In hindsight, it should be as soon as the pilot has less than 100% control. There is a strong instinct in all of us to hang on and recover but there is no time to change your mind if that is the wrong decision.

After this experience, we would rather release the kite every time, even if there were a chance of recovering control. The result would have cost some time gathering the gear and setting up again, or maybe a kite repair. We were lucky our injuries were not more severe. Our thanks go out to all the people that helped us. Our apologies go out to all our fellow kitesurfers and windsurfers at CB.

I don't think the assistant should ever grab the safety release for the pilot.Not that im a pro at safety or anything just never heard of doing that before.

Wasn't there so not sure this applies..but to get lofted suggests that the kite was at its zenith or above the "pilot". During the winter months with the SE winds...they are never steady and one should always have the kite low in the sky while walking out to the water line....IF the kite is pulling you too hard for you to walk by yourself with the kite low then chances are you are overpowered and should rig smaller. This practice of keeping kite low is a basic guideline while on land walking to the water (Nitinaht is one of those rare places we get away with things due to the incredibly smooth winds). If a gust comes through while the kite is low and water side you don't get lofted rather you get pulled and a person usually walks somewhat braced when the kite is low due to the pull so can usually absorb the extra pull for the brief second while the kite races out to the winds edge.

I of course hope your injuries are not major and recovery quick. Columbia especially on a high tide can be tricky to launch as the wind is funky close to the high water mark...one should always launch with the kiter high on the beach and launcher waterside.

Anyways always lots to look at in hindsight when shit hits the fan....and always lots of people to chime in with their thoughts

hope to see you on the beach soon

cheers
Dale

As a side note....my comments on letting go of the bar is that should for any reason the bar get tangled or turned in your own lines then you no longer have steering control of that kite .... even with the massive depower of todays kites...if a gust is strong enough....especially lofting two people....that kite may not turn and fall right away and without steering control...if you are getting lofted you no longer have the ability to attempt to steer away from obstacles or towards the water may make even a worse situation. (Steering the kite water side saved my sorry ass once at island view....my one and only time getting lofted on my 16m bronco and it would have been seriously bad if I didn't have the ability to throw the kite water side and fly into the water then eject....I lofted about 20ft and travelled 30 to the side into the water...had alot of potential for sadness and carnage)

If you are starting to get lofted....I think ejection is the safe option and hopefully the path down wind is clear of people and obstacles.

KSD has kited that beach many more times than the people who got in trouble; and is bringing up some standard safety notes, I think everyone should be encouraged to chime in about these safety issues; whats your problem GWind?

I launched and landed several kites over that couple of days and I did question once whether an inland-facing launch was safe - I was assured it was.

I think many people underestimated the wind strength that day, and that was probably a key contributor. Even at the time of the accident there was an offshore component so it felt comparatively light at the top of the beach and kept the water texuture smoother than normal so it didn't look that windy. The parking lot was calmer than on most such days. I note everyone else's log put down 35 knots for max; I put down 38 and thought that might be conservative. The wind metre read a max of 35, but there was WAY more wind by the water's edge than at the beach top even at mid tide, and way more than that just a little further out. The same wind metre read a bunch of 30 knot gusts the day before, when there was FAR LESS wind; not just 5 knots less. I was comfortable on a 5.0 sail the day before and way overpowered on a 4.5 and had to go to a 4.0 on Saturday; that isn't a 5 knot difference.

A punch-out of the safety with the kite flogging at the end of the leash I don't think is particularly hazardous. The kite's energy is pretty much gone. Is that right? Letting the whole rig go is clearly very dangerous for anyone downwind.

I think something that hasn't been mentioned is that if the wind is that strong you should maybe wait until the immediate downwind area is clear. I walked across her kitelines a few seconds earlier; stopped and double checked that she wasn't about to launch and that no-one was near the kite to launch it. I then spoke to her as she sat on the beach with her bar attached and said I was making sure she wasn't launching right then. As I went in the water I looked back and still noone was near the kite. A few seconds later I was messing about getting the board ready in the whitewater and about to step aboard when the kite hit me; the launch-to-loft must have happened very quickly. In the confusion after I had the kite ready to relaunch for a few seconds - I wasn't clear what signal she was giving me so I held on till I lost it again - I'm blooody glad I didn't just toss the kite up thinking thats what she wanted!

I always appreciate Dale's comments . He has seen a lot in his time @ Nitinaht . & I always appreciate Kiters posting after an incident so we can all learn . Great that the injurys were not more severe .

I have been kiting here quite some time and am getting very concerned on the confidence people seem to have these days with the new gear that is easier to fly. I am the type of person to go out in almost any condition due to the different places I have been, and have a different confidence than most people here on the island. I have seen the most dangerous mistakes happen in front of my eyes in summer and winter here. This is mostly due to people not having a clue on the conditions, but rather ask what people are on, then blindly rigging up and launch. If you need to ask someone what kite to rig when it is blowing 30 plus, you should not be going out. Sorry, but winter south easterlies here are very terrifying even to the veterans at times. I have been very up front to people on the beach, and could care a less whether you want to hear what I have to say or not. I will make you know the dangers in your actions. This year is going to change I hope. I am asking ALL of the veterans to step up with more authority rather than suggestions to people during our winter months. Cook street seems like a shit show as it is, and I have been told it has no chance of getting safer in the near future with all of the new people teaching the new people as well as new people launching new people.
My words have always been the same. Only kite out as far as you want to swim back. Watch the people on the water when you get to the beach, and study the conditions before pulling your kite out of the bag. If you are nervous, chances are you may be in over your head, and you haven't even started to pump your kite. Chill out, talk to people who are out there having fun, and not surviving on the water. Ask them there advise. Please do not treat this sport as a bragging right. Your drinking friends are not at the beach watching you (I hope). So don't be cocky, you will be shut down. If you see kites surging on the water while people are out, it most likely will be a very marginal session for the fun factor. This is not a time to figure out any new gear, leave that for NitNat or the Baja. Be respectful, and run your lines after your kite is pumped, and you are in your suit and harness, ready to go! When at IV If it is blowing 30 or more, and you see a nice dome clearing to the south east, be ready for some really big changes with the wind. It will get very windy.
I hope this message gets through to all applicable. There are so many reasons at this point in time I feel some one is going to get more than just broken bones with the level of experience I am seeing going out in the big and small conditions we will be seeing in the next 6 months.
See you at the beach.
Jordan

Hi folks,

I was columbia on the 25th.

I had been kiting for 15 minutes or so in some epic conditions. I agree it was definitely windier than it felt. I think my 8m is rated to 37 knots for a 180 pound person. I'm 200. therefore I think it was 40 knots because by the time 15 minutes was up my bar was all the way out and the kite fully depowered. This to me is the upper limit of the kite I discovered. When I got to the beach there was NO ONE to help me land. I turned the kite out over the water and was lifted up as I did so. I lowered the kite trying to grab someone's attention. When that failed and the kite was still pulling me out to sea, I decided to eject. Luckily everything worked as it should. Winddoc kindly helped me get my kite back to the beach as it was flagging.

I'd ask folks to keep a couple of things in mind. If you go out with only 1-2 inches of depower left as a newbie (me) in a place you've never been, it's probably not a wise move. If only I'd waited 30 minutes for the wind to die down I'd not have taken the risks I did.

Second, when there is an accident, a couple of people need to be keeping a watch for others coming in who could be in trouble. I was giving the universal signal for the last 100 yards of my run in and no one responded.

Safe kiting all.

Kevin

PS: Why are people still not wearing helmets!!!! It's just common sense. Protect yourself.

I stand corrected. My 8m will go to 34 knots. Given that I am 10% heavier than the 180 pounds, I would guess the wind was 37 or 38 knots that day in spots, not my initial guess of 40.

After windsurfing for over 15 years I am now a kiting newbie. Here are my 2 cents:
Working for 25 years professionally with 'dangerous' industrial woodworking machinery, and still having all my 10 fingers and other appendages, has taught me valuable things about kiting as well:
- never, ever get complacent
- respect the capabilities and dangers of your equipment
- evaluate possible risks BEFORE an accident occurs
- mind your surroundings

In terms of kiting, this means for me:
- get familiar with your kite in a controlled, safe environment. I'm directing newbie kiters here mid island to Rathtrevor Beach at low tide when a SE is on: miles of flat sandy beach, without trees, rocks, and mostly, people. No safer spot exists to learn to kite, self-launch, self-land, you name it.
- know your wind speed - carry an anemometer, use it, and add a safety margin for stronger wind offshore.
- make it a habit to launch towards the water.
- don't ever go out if you can't identify a safe self-landing site beforehand, one that's accessible even at high tide. There may not be anyone on hand to land you when you get in, and having someone inexperienced land a kite is far more dangerous than a controlled self-landing.
- examine the downwind area - will you be able to land the kite safely if you drift downwind for a while? If not, stay on land and leave the risk for the experts.
If you keep your wits about you, respect the kite for what it is - a very powerful, but quirky engine - and give yourself the time to progress at a safe clip, you'll have nothing but fun kiting. I haven't looked back at my windsurfer since flying a kite.
But there is a reason we don't let a novice driver with an L drive a Ferrari - it's called common sense, and I would urge all new kiters to make use of it.